Woodpecker damage in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

A woodpecker holds an acorn that was stored in a rain gutter at a home in Walnut Creek, Calif. The birds have damaged houses and other buildings, and some area residents want to cull the bird population.

A woodpecker holds an acorn that was stored in a rain gutter at a home in Walnut Creek, Calif. The birds have damaged houses and other buildings, and some area residents want to cull the bird population. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

A woodpecker holds an acorn that was stored in a rain gutter at a home in Walnut Creek, Calif. The birds have damaged houses and other buildings, and some area residents want to cull the bird population.